This invention relates to the art of thermostats and, more particularly, to a thermostat system incorporating a communication interface for receiving and displaying diverse information from a remote correspondent. In an extended version, this invention relates to a thermostat system for receiving and displaying information from a first remote correspondent and selectively issuing an information/directive message to a second remote correspondent.
Thermostats have been used for many years as a temperature sensitive switch which controls heating and/or cooling equipment for conditioning a space in which the thermostat, or a temperature sensor connected to the thermostat, is placed. In the well known manner, a simple thermostat can be adjusted to establish a temperature set point such that, when the temperature in the conditioned space reaches the set point, the thermostat interacts with the heating and/or/cooling equipment to take suitable action to heat or cool the conditioned space as may be appropriate for the season.
Modern thermostat systems, which take advantage of the ongoing rapid advances in electronic technology and circuit integration, have many features which provide more precise supervision of the heating and/or cooling equipment to achieve more economical and more comfortable management of the temperature of a conditioned space. Many modern thermostat systems include a real time clock, a memory and a data processor to run a process control program stored in the memory to accurately measure the temperature of a temperature sensor disposed in the conditioned space and to send control signals to the heating and/or cooling equipment to closely control the temperature of the conditioned space. Modern thermostat systems permit anticipating and minimizing hysterisis or overshoot of the temperature in the conditioned space. In addition, the program can specify different set points at different times of the day and week and may also include a xe2x80x9cvacationxe2x80x9d mode which employs different set points when the conditioned space is not occupied for an extended period.
Many modern thermostat systems are programmable by a user. Typically, prior art programmable thermostat system employ a tactile touch pad with various fixed position buttons to be touched in a precise sequence to program set points (which may vary with the day of the week) for programmable time periods which may include a vacation mode. The programming sequence may be followed on a separate display, typically a liquid crystal display.
Other types of modern thermostat systems may limit, or even make no provision for, user programming. For example, thermostats distributed throughout a large commercial establishment may be programmable only by authorized persons employing special tools or may even have their programs permanently set at the time of manufacturer or installation. These non-programmable thermostat systems do not have a user accessible touch pad (or have no touch pad at all), but may incorporate a user readable display.
The present invention finds use in both programmable and non-programmable thermostat systems which operate under control of a processor.
A thermostat system according to the invention includes: a temperature sensor for providing an electrical signal indicative of the temperature of a conditioned space in which the temperature sensor is situated; a liquid crystal display (LCD) for selectively displaying an alphanumeric message; and a processor having: a CPU, real time clock and a memory for storing program and data information. In one embodiment, the data includes a table storing key terms on a predetermined subject (e.g., current and predicted weather conditions in a given locale). A communications interface is adapted to establish bi-directional communications (via the Internet or some other suitable facility) between the processor and a remote correspondent which is a source of current information on the predetermined subject. Periodically, or on demand if provided for, a program stored in the memory causes the CPU to selectively: establish communications with the remote correspondent, read the current information and parse the current information against the stored key terms. If a match is found, the current information is further searched for at least one value associated with the matched key term; and if at least one such value is found, an alphanumeric message is displayed on the LCD to show a first message component representative of the connotation of the matched key term and a second message component representative of the associated value.
In a variant embodiment, the remote correspondent provides a service sending, periodically or on demand, predetermined information for display on the LCD. In this variant, there is no parsing against locally stored key terms. In another variant embodiment, the thermostat system can use current weather information received from the first remote correspondent to determine and act if the received information is such that a second remote correspondent interfacing with a remotely controllable thermostat system should be contacted, and send directive information to suitably change the temperature (or other parameter) set point at the second remote site.